The capital city of Brazil, Brasilia has seen it’s first autochthonous, or locally acquired case of the mosquito borne virus, chikungunya, according to a UOL Notícias report today (comuter translated).
In addition, two suspect cases are being investigated, The Federal District Health Department noted. The identification of the patient has not been released.
In 2014, Brazil reported nearly 3,000 suspected and confirmed autochthonous chikungunya cases, according to data provided by the Pan American Health Organization.
In addition to Brazil, the following 7 countries in South America have reported local transmission of chikungunya: Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela.
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. It can cause high fever, join and muscle pain, and headache. Chikungunya does not often result in death, but the joint pain may last for months or years and may become a cause of chronic pain and disability.
There is no specific treatment for chikungunya infection, nor any vaccine to prevent it. Pending the development of a new vaccine, the only effective means of prevention is to protect individuals against mosquito bites.
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